Looking for a smart phone or laptop app to control my Vizio "smart" TV

March 7, 2013 9:35 AM

What options do I have for an alternative remote for a Vizio smart TV (streaming Hulu/ Netflix/ Facebook access, model SV472XVT)? Is there a Droid app, or a way to use Bluetooth to access the TV? My old remote died, and the side access buttons are cumbersome to say the least. Thanks!
posted by filthy light thief to Technology (5 answers total)

I'd just spend the $25 and get a replacement.
posted by dobi at 9:44 AM on March 7, 2013

There are products like this that will do it. However, IMHO using a smartphone as your main TV remote really sucks. I have a system that lets me use iPhone and iPad apps to control everything, and a touchscreen really doesn't measure up for this use in my experience. Imagine sitting in the dark watching a movie, and you want to bump the volume up a bit or pause it. Instead of reaching over, finding the button by feel, and doing it in a second or two, you have to pick up your device, unlock the screen, (possibly launch the app), look at the screen to find the button (no finding by feel on a touch device) and then do it. It's frustrating.
posted by primethyme at 9:46 AM on March 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The room with our TV doesn't get that dark, at least now with the current window covers, but $70 seems pretty steep. Our system isn't too fancy, and most of our media is viewed through a home-built HTPC with its own wireless keyboard with built-in trackball. Moreso that our TV remote doesn't work, and we're left with the side buttons to adjust channels, volume, inputs, and basic settings.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:37 PM on March 7, 2013

Then just buy a replacement remote. I don't think you're going to get a solution for much less than $70, and certainly not less than $25. Remember that it's not just software - you need to get something that actually sends the IR signal to the TV. So it's not like you're going to be able to get a $0.99 Android app to do it. Some other components (I've seen it for receivers, DVRs and Blu Ray players) are controllable over the network. But Vizio TVs are not. So you need an IR emitter of some sort.
posted by primethyme at 2:05 PM on March 7, 2013

Response by poster: The remote is a hybrid IR/bluetooth, which is why I was hoping there would be some apps that would work with my smartphone or laptop with bluetooth would work. Also, Vizio has a tablet that serves as a remote, though it includes an IR "blaster," unlike smartphones and laptops.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:17 PM on March 10, 2013